Advanced Search

Search

Advanced Search

Hours changes and closures: Kent Library hours expand July 3. Burien Library will open July 10. The Kent Panther Lake Library is closed due to building repairs.

All study rooms will open July 5. Find out what to expect when rooms reopen.

All libraries will be closed on Monday, July 4. You can still use some services while we're closed. Find out how services will be impacted by the holiday.

Jacket cover images copied to clipboard.

Topic Guide

Black History Month

By:

KCLSDiversity

King County Library System

Staff-created list

Celebrating African American history, culture and exploring contemporary issues in these featured new titles. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History presents the 2021 theme, "The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity."

By:

KCLSDiversity

King County Library System

21 items

21 items

Black Ink

Black Ink

Literary Legends on the Peril, Power, and Pleasure of Reading and Writing

Book - 2018

Spanning over 250 years of history, Black Ink traces black literature in America from Frederick Douglass to Ta-Nehisi Coates in this masterful collection of twenty-five illustrious and moving essays on the power of the written word. Spanning over 250 years of history, Black Ink traces black literature in America from Frederick Douglass to Ta-Nehisi Coates in this masterful collection of twenty-five illustrious and moving essays on the power of the written word. Show less

Spanning over 250 years of history, Black Ink traces black literature in America from Frederick Douglass to Ta-Nehisi Coates in this masterful collection of twenty-five illustrious and moving essays on the power of the written word. Spanning over 250 years of history, Black Ink traces black literature in America from Frederick Douglass to Ta-Nehisi Coates in this masterful collection of twenty-five illustrious and moving essays on the power of the written word. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

The Undefeated

The Undefeated

by Alexander, Kwame

Book - 2019

This inaugural title from Newbery Medalist Alexander's new imprint is a poignant and powerful ode to the resilience and strength of black life and history in America. Available in eBook format. This inaugural title from Newbery Medalist Alexander's new imprint is a poignant and powerful ode to the resilience and strength of black life and history in America. Available in eBook format. Show less

This inaugural title from Newbery Medalist Alexander's new imprint is a poignant and powerful ode to the resilience and strength of black life and history in America. Available in eBook format. This inaugural title from Newbery Medalist Alexander's new imprint is a poignant and powerful ode to the resilience and strength of black life and history in America. Available in eBook format. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

The Tradition

The Tradition

by Brown, Jericho

Book - 2019

What is safety? Who is this nation? Where does freedom truly lie? Brown makes mythical pastorals to question the terrors to which weve become accustomed, ...Show more What is safety? Who is this nation? Where does freedom truly lie? Brown makes mythical pastorals to question the terrors to which weve become accustomed, and to celebrate how we survive. Poems of fatherhood, legacy, blackness, queerness, worship, and trauma. Available in eBook format. Show less

What is safety? Who is this nation? Where does freedom truly lie? Brown makes mythical pastorals to question the terrors to which weve become accustomed, ...Show more What is safety? Who is this nation? Where does freedom truly lie? Brown makes mythical pastorals to question the terrors to which weve become accustomed, and to celebrate how we survive. Poems of fatherhood, legacy, blackness, queerness, worship, and trauma. Available in eBook format. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

The King of Kindergarten

The King of Kindergarten

by Barnes, Derrick

Book - 2019

Joyful and empowering, this picture book celebrates the first day of kindergarten. Available in eBook and Audiobook format. Joyful and empowering, this picture book celebrates the first day of kindergarten. Available in eBook and Audiobook format. Show less

Joyful and empowering, this picture book celebrates the first day of kindergarten. Available in eBook and Audiobook format. Joyful and empowering, this picture book celebrates the first day of kindergarten. Available in eBook and Audiobook format. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

The Yellow House

The Yellow House

by Broom, Sarah M.

Book - 2019

This ambitious, haunting memoir of home, movement, displacement, loss, and persistence allows Broom to offer an intimate, closely observed history of her family over nearly a hundred years. This ambitious, haunting memoir of home, movement, displacement, loss, and persistence allows Broom to offer an intimate, closely observed history of her family over nearly a hundred years. Show less

This ambitious, haunting memoir of home, movement, displacement, loss, and persistence allows Broom to offer an intimate, closely observed history of her family over nearly a hundred years. This ambitious, haunting memoir of home, movement, displacement, loss, and persistence allows Broom to offer an intimate, closely observed history of her family over nearly a hundred years. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

I Am Enough

I Am Enough

by Byers, Grace

Book - 2018

Shares a story of loving who you are, respecting others and being kind to one another. Shares a story of loving who you are, respecting others and being kind to one another. Show less

Shares a story of loving who you are, respecting others and being kind to one another. Shares a story of loving who you are, respecting others and being kind to one another. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Me & Mama

Me & Mama

by Cabrera, Cozbi A.

Book - 2020

A young Black girl enjoys a rainy day alone with her mother, savoring each ordinary moment for the joyful expression of love it represents. Available in eBook format. A young Black girl enjoys a rainy day alone with her mother, savoring each ordinary moment for the joyful expression of love it represents. Available in eBook format. Show less

A young Black girl enjoys a rainy day alone with her mother, savoring each ordinary moment for the joyful expression of love it represents. Available in eBook format. A young Black girl enjoys a rainy day alone with her mother, savoring each ordinary moment for the joyful expression of love it represents. Available in eBook format. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

The Water Dancer

The Water Dancer

A Novel

by Coates, Ta-Nehisi

Book - 2019

This transcendent tale of a boy born into bondage exposes the brutality of slavery but also shimmers with hope. When his mother is sold away, Hiram is gif...Show more This transcendent tale of a boy born into bondage exposes the brutality of slavery but also shimmers with hope. When his mother is sold away, Hiram is gifted with a mysterious power which ultimately emboldens him to escape. Available in eBook and Audiobook format. Show less

This transcendent tale of a boy born into bondage exposes the brutality of slavery but also shimmers with hope. When his mother is sold away, Hiram is gif...Show more This transcendent tale of a boy born into bondage exposes the brutality of slavery but also shimmers with hope. When his mother is sold away, Hiram is gifted with a mysterious power which ultimately emboldens him to escape. Available in eBook and Audiobook format. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Making Our Way Home

Making Our Way Home

The Great Migration and the Black American Dream

by Imani, Blair

Book - 2020

The experiences of prominent figures such as James Baldwin, Fannie Lou Hamer, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X), Ella Baker, and others are woven into ...Show more The experiences of prominent figures such as James Baldwin, Fannie Lou Hamer, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X), Ella Baker, and others are woven into the larger historical and cultural narratives of the Great Migration to create a truly singular record of this powerful journey. Show less

The experiences of prominent figures such as James Baldwin, Fannie Lou Hamer, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X), Ella Baker, and others are woven into ...Show more The experiences of prominent figures such as James Baldwin, Fannie Lou Hamer, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X), Ella Baker, and others are woven into the larger historical and cultural narratives of the Great Migration to create a truly singular record of this powerful journey. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

All Boys Aren't Blue

All Boys Aren't Blue

A Memoir-manifesto

by Johnson, George M.

Book - 2020

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Show less

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Show less

All copies in use Availability details Holds: 13 on 11 copies

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon

by Morrison, Toni

Book - 1987

Song of Solomon is a powerful, sensual, and poetic exploration of four generations of a family mistakenly named Dead. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Song of Solomon is a powerful, sensual, and poetic exploration of four generations of a family mistakenly named Dead. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Show less

Song of Solomon is a powerful, sensual, and poetic exploration of four generations of a family mistakenly named Dead. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Song of Solomon is a powerful, sensual, and poetic exploration of four generations of a family mistakenly named Dead. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Sulwe

Sulwe

by Nyong'o, Lupita

Book - 2019

When five-year-old Sulwe's classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but a shooting star's tale of the sisters Night and Day helps her understand there is beauty and worth in every shade. When five-year-old Sulwe's classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but a shooting star's tale of the sisters Night and Day helps her understand there is beauty and worth in every shade. Show less

When five-year-old Sulwe's classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but a shooting star's tale of the sisters Night and Day helps her understand there is beauty and worth in every shade. When five-year-old Sulwe's classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but a shooting star's tale of the sisters Night and Day helps her understand there is beauty and worth in every shade. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Breathe

Breathe

A Letter to My Sons

by Perry, Imani

Book - 2019

A distinguished scholar writes to her sons about the joy, possibility, and grace of black life amid ongoing American struggles with race, gender and class. A distinguished scholar writes to her sons about the joy, possibility, and grace of black life amid ongoing American struggles with race, gender and class. Show less

A distinguished scholar writes to her sons about the joy, possibility, and grace of black life amid ongoing American struggles with race, gender and class. A distinguished scholar writes to her sons about the joy, possibility, and grace of black life amid ongoing American struggles with race, gender and class. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Look Both Ways

Look Both Ways

A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

by Reynolds, Jason

Book - 2019

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and weaves them into one funny, poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and weaves them into one funny, poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. Show less

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and weaves them into one funny, poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and weaves them into one funny, poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide, When the Rainbow Is Enuf

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide, When the Rainbow Is Enuf

A Choreopoem

by Shange, Ntozake

Book - 1997

From its inception in 1974 to its critical success on Broadway, this work has excited and inspired audiences all over the country. Passionate and fearless...Show more From its inception in 1974 to its critical success on Broadway, this work has excited and inspired audiences all over the country. Passionate and fearless, Shange's words reveal what it means to be of color and female in the 20th century. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Show less

From its inception in 1974 to its critical success on Broadway, this work has excited and inspired audiences all over the country. Passionate and fearless...Show more From its inception in 1974 to its critical success on Broadway, this work has excited and inspired audiences all over the country. Passionate and fearless, Shange's words reveal what it means to be of color and female in the 20th century. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

All the Days Past, All the Days to Come

All the Days Past, All the Days to Come

by Taylor, Mildred D.

Book - 2020

Taylor completes her monumental saga of the Logan family of Mississippi that began with her first novel, Song of the Trees (1975). Taylor completes her monumental saga of the Logan family of Mississippi that began with her first novel, Song of the Trees (1975). Show less

Taylor completes her monumental saga of the Logan family of Mississippi that began with her first novel, Song of the Trees (1975). Taylor completes her monumental saga of the Logan family of Mississippi that began with her first novel, Song of the Trees (1975). Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Sing, Unburied, Sing

Sing, Unburied, Sing

A Novel

by Ward, Jesmyn

Book - 2017

A road trip to retrieve their father from prison becomes a harrowing, haunted journey for thirteen-year-old JoJo, his baby sister, and his drug-addicted mother. Ward's lyrical prose brings the characters and the sweltering setting to life. A road trip to retrieve their father from prison becomes a harrowing, haunted journey for thirteen-year-old JoJo, his baby sister, and his drug-addicted mother. Ward's lyrical prose brings the characters and the sweltering setting to life. Show less

A road trip to retrieve their father from prison becomes a harrowing, haunted journey for thirteen-year-old JoJo, his baby sister, and his drug-addicted mother. Ward's lyrical prose brings the characters and the sweltering setting to life. A road trip to retrieve their father from prison becomes a harrowing, haunted journey for thirteen-year-old JoJo, his baby sister, and his drug-addicted mother. Ward's lyrical prose brings the characters and the sweltering setting to life. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

The Nickel Boys

The Nickel Boys

A Novel

by Whitehead, Colson

Book - 2019

Abandoned by his parents, but kept on the straight and narrow by his grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But for a black bo...Show more Abandoned by his parents, but kept on the straight and narrow by his grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But for a black boy in the Jim Crow South in the early 1960s, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy the future. Elwood is sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called The Nickel Academy, Stunned to find himself in such a vicious environment, Elwood struggles to hold on to Dr. King's ringing assertion "Throw us in jail and we will still love you." Show less

Abandoned by his parents, but kept on the straight and narrow by his grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But for a black bo...Show more Abandoned by his parents, but kept on the straight and narrow by his grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But for a black boy in the Jim Crow South in the early 1960s, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy the future. Elwood is sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called The Nickel Academy, Stunned to find himself in such a vicious environment, Elwood struggles to hold on to Dr. King's ringing assertion "Throw us in jail and we will still love you." Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

The Warmth of Other Suns

The Warmth of Other Suns

The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

by Wilkerson, Isabel

Book - 2010

In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American histor...Show more In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Show less

In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American histor...Show more In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. Available in eBook and Audiobook formats. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Red at the Bone

Red at the Bone

by Woodson, Jacqueline

Book - 2019

As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. Unfurling the h...Show more As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. Unfurling the history of Melody's parents and grandparents to show how they all arrived at this moment, Woodson considers not just their ambitions and successes but also the costs, the tolls they've paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. Show less

As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. Unfurling the h...Show more As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. Unfurling the history of Melody's parents and grandparents to show how they all arrived at this moment, Woodson considers not just their ambitions and successes but also the costs, the tolls they've paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker

A Memoir in Essays

by Young, Damon

Book - 2019

A hilarious and honest debut that is both a celebration of the idiosyncrasies and distinctions of Blackness and a critique of white supremacy and how we define masculinity. Available in eBook and eAudiobook format. A hilarious and honest debut that is both a celebration of the idiosyncrasies and distinctions of Blackness and a critique of white supremacy and how we define masculinity. Available in eBook and eAudiobook format. Show less

A hilarious and honest debut that is both a celebration of the idiosyncrasies and distinctions of Blackness and a critique of white supremacy and how we define masculinity. Available in eBook and eAudiobook format. A hilarious and honest debut that is both a celebration of the idiosyncrasies and distinctions of Blackness and a critique of white supremacy and how we define masculinity. Available in eBook and eAudiobook format. Show less

Available in some locations

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Powered by BiblioCommons.

BiblioCore: app03 Version 9.8.0 Last updated 2022/06/07 12:49

[]

[]

To Top